A Brother's Scars
by Colarein
Summary: Misunderstood, underrated, and unloved. All who meet him despise him and those who actually take the time to talk to him don't care to understand him. After all, how can a lion with a black mane and a scar across his left eye ever prove himself to be good? This is the story of Scar, a murderer, a tyrant, and a villain, who above all, wanted to be loved.
1. Prologue

Prologue

There was a rumble of thunder.

The lion growled deep in his throat, a coarse sound that echoed off the walls of the damp cave and reverberated all around him.

As if in answer, a jagged snatch of lightning forked across the dark sky and the world momentarily turned into a massive sphere of white light. Then darkness.

Again, the lion growled, this time beginning to pace, back and forth, back and forth, back and forth.

Outside, rain fell in slanted sheets across the savanna, occasionally blowing into the cave to settle heavily onto the lion's magnificent golden pelt.

Changing direction, the great cat paced to the other side of the den, his tail lashing, a growl continuing to rumble deep in his shaggy throat.

Another roar of thunder.

The lion changed direction again, growling, snarling, his nostrils flaring, thoughts flickering around in his eyes like minnows in a pool.

Suddenly, among the darkness, a noise, soft and yet vaguely sharp, "Ahadi!"

The lion started, as if awoken from a dream.

Again, the voice spoke, "Ahadi!"

Sharply, the lion turned his great head, his long tail whisking behind him. For a moment, there was darkness. Then the world lit up in an enormous burst of lightning and he saw her. The next moment shadows dominated the cave once more.

"Uru." He said in a low voice. "I'm thinking. Leave me be."

Two orbs of lavender glowed in the darkness and, as Ahadi watched, they blinked, almost contemplatively.

"You've had much time to think, Ahadi." The voice replied, its tone gentle and yet border lining strict. "It is time to make a choice."

At these words, the lion snarled and turned his back on the glowing eyes.

"Why must it be my choice?" He spat. "You are daughter of the king. I am merely your consort."

The mysterious lioness shifted in the darkness.

"You are king, my love." She answered softly. "It is your duty, not mine."

Again, the lion snarled. Thunder roared across the plains and the overpowering burst of noise caused the whole den to shake.

"Ahadi." This time, Uru's voice was edged with urgency. "This storm could be a sign. The great kings want you to make your choice."

Ahadi was quiet, his tail lashing back and forth behind him.

"Let me see them again." He ordered hoarsely.

The lioness nodded and her eyes shifted downward to her belly. Ahadi lowered his gaze and then turned to face his mate, his eyes already seeking the crook of her stomach. For a moment, there was darkness. Then a flash of lightning. And in that momentary burst of light, he saw them, curled together next to their mother. He turned away once more, snarling bitterly.

"Why must it be up to me?" He moaned. "How am I to know which is the wiser?"

"Ahadi," His mate's eyes sharpened. "You will know."

The lion hung his head, his eyes gently closed. In his mind's eye, he could see them both, still sleeping together, despite the storm. The one, with his compact form and deep golden pelt, and the other, small and sleek, with fur the color of tree bark. Which should he choose?

"Uru." The lion did not lift his head. He did not even open his eyes. "Both are sons of kings, but only one will make a king himself."

The lioness was silent.

"Uru." The lion lifted his head, his amber eyes giving him the appearance of a lion far older. "I have made my decision."

As if in answer to his words, a clap of thunder shook the savanna.

The lioness nodded.

"Come, then." She said and she licked each lion cub on the forehead.

Swallowing thickly, the great lion padded forward, his huge paws making barely a sound on the smooth cave floor. As he drew nearer, another flash of lightning lit up the cave. Momentarily, he could see his mate, a beautiful lioness with silky brown fur, and his two cubs, as different as east from west, nestled into her belly.

At last, the lion stood over the three, his gigantic form blotting the cave entrance behind him. Slowly, gently, he bent down his great head and touched the tip of his nose to the golden cub's forehead.

"Mufasa." He whispered.

The cub stirred, mewling pitifully, and then reached up to touch his father's muzzle. The lion smiled and an affectionate sound rumbled deep in his throat.

"I hereby grant you the right of a king." He whispered. "May this blessing serve you well when the sun sets on my time and rises with you as the new king."

A long moment passed with Ahadi's great head bent to his son, who reached eagerly toward him, as if sensing the significance of the moment. Then there was a furious mewling and the other cub began to thrash uncontrollably, his small pink mouth gaped open in a wail of protest.

"Hush, hush, my sweet Taka." The lioness soothed, leaning forward and nuzzling the cub affectionately. "This is an important moment."

Gradually, the cub calmed down, though his face remained scrunched, as though he had tasted something bitter. Ahadi lifted his head, eyes fixed on the smaller cub.

"Uru." He murmured. "Could . . . could it be an omen?"

The lioness glanced up sharply at her mate.

"Don't think such things." She retorted scathingly. "Our sons have been bestowed blessings, not curses."

Ahadi dipped his head, accepting her words.

"Of course." He murmured.

As Uru dipped her head to continue cooing the cubs, Ahadi kept his eyes fixed on the smaller cub, the one named Taka. There was a rumble of thunder and a jagged fork of lightning split the sky behind him, its outline reflecting over the left eye of the cub, giving him, for a split second, a phantom scar. Then darkness once more fell over the cave.

A shiver ran down Ahadi's spine and the great lion turned quickly away, breathing heavily. No, it wasn't an omen. It couldn't be. The great kings of the past would not bestow such a curse upon a king's child.

Shaking his shaggy head, the lion padded away from his mate and resumed his position at the head of the den. He was not going to get worked up about this. It didn't matter anyway. There was nothing left to be done. It was in the hands of the great kings now. All left to be hoped for was that Mufasa would make a good king and Taka a good brother.

Presently, Ahadi's fur laid flat against his back and he breathed easy again. Mufasa would make a wonderful king. And Taka would grow into a fine brother. They were sons of kings, after all.

With his fears assuaged and his heart set on hope, Ahadi fixed his eyes on the stars above and let the rain lightly mist his muzzle.

The storm raged on.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

The cub twitched in his sleep.

Warmth, such warmth, all around him, a blanket of pure and utter protection.

He murmured under his breath and flopped onto his side, his nose instinctively burrowing deeper into the source of the warmth. Something cold and wet gently touched his flank.

"My sweet Taka," A voice murmured. "Sleep, my little cub, sleep . . . "

Suddenly, the cub's eyes shot open and he scrambled to his paws, his matted brown flank sticking up in all directions.

"Daddy!" He puffed.

"No, Taka, wait!"

The voice of his mother echoed behind him as the little cub bounded out of the cave, his paws stumbling beneath him, still weighed down with sleep.

_Daddy! _He cried again, though this time the word only reached his mind. _Daddy!_

The cub skidded to a halt and rocks crumbled at his paws. A distinctive ping sounded in the clear as the pebbles fell from Pride Rock and landed heavily in the grass below. The cub hardly noticed. Instead, he stood, motionless, with his eyes fixed on the horizon, on the waking savanna beneath him, a world of peace and bliss, pierced only by the heavy footfalls of a great lion striding through the grass with his son at his side.

The cub's tail drooped.

"Taka?"

There was a soft thump behind him and Taka sensed his mother striding swiftly out of the cavern. Keeping his back to her, the little cub hung his head, his tail hitting the earth with a dull thud.

"Mama," He said in a choked voice, his jade eyes filling with tears. "Why are they leaving me again?"

A shrill birdcall broke the silence that followed as the lioness gently sank to her knees beside the tiny cub.

"You know why, my sweet Taka," The lioness murmured in reply, her lavender eyes fixed on the cub's drooping face. "Mufasa is learning to be a king. It is only his duty."

Taka scuffed at the earth in front of him, his paws leaving deep claw scratches in the smooth rock face.

"But I'm a prince, too!" His claws dug in deeper and the rocks made an earsplitting screech beneath him. "Why can't I go with them?"

The lioness sighed, her eyes dropping from her son's face to take in the sunbathed savanna beneath her.

"I don't know why, son." She replied in a whisper and her long tail flicked contemplatively behind her. "This is just the way your father wants to do things."

Once more, the cub looked to the grasslands, his eyes immediately pinpointing the broad back of his father, moving deeper and deeper into the light. Next to him, a smaller back of the same shade strode with equal power, equal breadth, equal strength. Taka felt his claws dig deeper into the rock.

"I'll show them someday!" He piped up suddenly, his tiny tail rising into the air. "Someday, I'll . . . I'll get bigger! Stronger! And then Daddy will take me out, too! Won't he, Mama?"

The lioness smiled, though her eyes remained on her mate, striding effortlessly through the waving savanna grass.

"He will," She said and turned to look at her son with loving eyes. "So long as you grow into a good lion, with good intentions, and a good heart. You can do that, right?"

"Right!" Taka squeaked and his tail waved wildly in the air.

Unable to help herself, the lioness took the tiny cub into her paws and drew him into her lap, where she began to lap her tongue over his fur, over and over and over again.

"You're a good cub, my sweet Taka," She murmured as she continued to stroke him. "Your father might not see it in you, but he will, one day. I know he will."

The cub looked up at her, his green eyes filled with hope.

"You really think so?" He breathed.

"I know so."

And the world suddenly seemed afresh.

Taka looked out at the savanna eagerly, with new eyes, his hope lifting once more, as it always did when his mother was with him. Ahadi would take him out someday, just like he did Mufasa. Ahadi would teach him how to be a good king, how to govern a kingdom, just like he did Mufasa. And Ahadi would love him with the same undying passion, just like he did Mufasa.

They'd see.


End file.
